Astronomers have discovered another puzzling interstellar object − this third one is big, bright and fast

Astrologists Manning Asteroid warning A glimpse of a large and bright body caught up with the solar system Late July 1, 2025. The origins of the being among the stars are likely to be scientists around the world, and the next morning, The European Space Agency confirmed This object, its name for the first time A11pl3z and Then the 3i/AtlasIt is the third from outside our solar system.

Current measurements are estimated that 3i/atlas About 12 miles (20 km) wideAnd although his way will not take it near the ground, it may carry evidence about the nature of a A being among the previous stars And about the formation of the planet in solar energy systems behind us.

On July 2 at 3 pm EST, Mary Magnuson, an editor of assistant sciences in the conversation for us, spoke to us, Daril G. CelgmanAstronomical physicist at Michigan State University has been studying 3i/Atlas since his discovery.

What makes 3i/Atlas different from its predecessors?

We have discovered two being among the stars so far, ‘Oumuamua and Come 2i/Borisov. Oumuamua did not have a dust tail It is a great unjust rush, which led to a wide offer A variety of hypotheses With regard to its origin. 2i/Borisov was very guiltyAlthough it has a somewhat unique composition compared to comets in our solar system.

All of our preparation for the next being among the stars was preparing for something similar to “Oumuamua”, or something like Borisov. This thing is not similar to which of them, which is crazy and exciting.

This organism is shockingly shocking, and it is very far from the ground. that it Much larger Among the beings among the stars we have seen – they are more than ‘OMUAMUA.

For some context, oumuamua was discovered when it was Very close to the earthBut this new object is so large and bright that our telescopes can see it, although it is still far from it. This means that notes and telescopes will be able to notice them much longer than we can for previous organisms.

It is huge and is very far, but it is also much faster.

When I went to bed last night, I saw an alert about this being, but no one knows what is going on yet. I have a few collaborators who discover the orbits of things in the solar system, and I expected to wake up to them, saying something like “Yes, this is not among the stars.” Because you often think you may find something interesting, but with more data entering, it becomes less interesting.

Then, when I woke up at one in the morning, my colleagues in orbits were saying things like “No, this is certainly between the stars. This is true.”

How can astronomers know if something is between the stars?

the Wonderfulness in the orbit of the object It is how you know that it is among the stars. The eccentric indicates the course of the orbit. So the eccentric from scratch is a pure circle, and with an eccentric increase, what is known as the missing pieces – an extended circle.

After that, as soon as you skip the eccentric, you go from the missing pieces to a PlusAnd this is not shown. So, while the elliptical orbit is extended, it is still going on and returning. An object with a Zaidi orbit comes and leaves it, but it never returns. This type of orbit tells you that it did not come from this solar system.

When the researchers collect data, they get points of light on the sky, and they do not know what extent they are. It is not as if they were seeing them and they can only say, “Oh, this is strange.” What they see is to what extent is the object compared to the other stars in the background, and what its position and the speed of its movement. Then from these data, they try to contain the orbit.

This object is Moving quickly to what extent does it go awayThis is what tells us that it can be increased. If something is moving quickly enough, it will escape from the solar system. Therefore, an unlimited osteoporus must move faster.

This is a process in the actual time. The collaborators have prior programs, which will, every night, have new notes for all bodies and small things in the solar system. It will discover and update what are the orbits in real time. We get data pointsAnd with more data, we can improve the orbit that fits the best points.

What can scientists learn from an object among the stars?

Objects like these are primitive residue from The process of forming the planet In other planetary systems. the Small bodies in our solar system We have learned a lot about how the planets are formed in the solar system and developed. This can be a new window to understand the formation of the planet throughout the galaxy.

While looking for the data received, we try to find out if it is guilty. In the next two weeks, there is possible that there is more information available to say if he has a kometer tail like Borisov, or if he has The acceleration is not due to the withdrawal of gravityLike oumuamua.

If it is guilty, the researchers really want to know if it is ice. If it contains Ices, this tells you to ton it. The chemistry of these small bodies is the most important aspect when it comes to Understand the formation of the planetBecause the chemical composition tells you the conditions in which the solar system of the object was when the object is formed.

For example, if the object has a lot of Ices in it, then you know that wherever it is, he did not spend much time near the star, because those IES would have dissolved. If there is a lot of ice in it, it may tell you that it is formed away from the star and then it was expelled with a huge thing, such as a planet the size of Jupiter or Neptune.

Basically, this object can tell more astronomers about a group of things that we do not fully understand, or about the conditions in another solar system.

We had a few hours to get some initial notes. I think that in practice, every telescope will look at this object for the next nights, so we will get more information about this topic soon.

This article has been republished from ConversationAn independent, non -profit news organization brings you facts and trusted analysis to help you understand our complex world. Written by: Daril G. Celgmanand Michigan State University

Read more:

Darryl Z. Seligman is supported by NSF astronomy and astronomical physics after a doctorate within the AST-2330553 award. This research award is partially funded by a generous gift from Charles Simoni to the NSF Astronomical Sciences Department. The award is offered in appreciation of the major contributions to the old survey of the place for the place and time.